Senators hit snag on tech provisions in U.S. immigration bill

By Caren Bohan and Rachelle Younglai | WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON May 16 Amid fierce lobbying from the
tech industry and organized labor, senators on Thursday hit a
snag over a visa program for high-skilled foreign workers in the
U.S. immigration bill and decided to delay action on the issue
until next week.

The bill was carefully crafted by a bipartisan group of
Senators to address a slew of concerns from interest groups. But
the provision has emerged as a sticking point for the business
community and could cost the support of a key Republican Senator
Orrin Hatch.

Democrat Charles Schumer, one of the gang of eight Senators
that hashed out the original bill, has been trying to broker a
compromise with Hatch on the H-1B visa program for high skilled
workers.

"We are working very hard to negotiate an agreement,"
Schumer said at the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held its
third session on Thursday to examine the immigration bill.

On behalf of tech firms and businesses, Hatch has introduced
amendments to make it easier for companies to hire foreigners.
Schumer said he had asked Hatch to defer his amendments "in
hopes that we can get an agreement for early next week."

Under the bill, companies would have to vouch that they were
not replacing American workers with foreigners for 90 days
before and after the company applied for the work visa. Hatch's
amendment would only require that the employer did not intend to
displace a U.S. worker.

Hatch is also seeking to soften requirements designed to
ensure that Americans get the first crack at a high-skilled job.
Under the bill, employers would first have to advertise the job
and offer the position to any qualified American.

Hatch's amendment would only require employers to take good
faith steps to recruit Americans. That requirement would only
apply to companies that had more than 15 percent of their
workforce on H-1B work visas.

Republican Lindsey Graham, who is part of the gang of eight,
said Hatch had some good points. "I know he has been a real
leader on this and I hope we can find some common ground," he
told reporters.

Schumer, Graham and other lawmakers are trying to
accommodate Hatch in part because they want more Republican
senators to support the bill, which would put pressure on the
Republican-led House of Representatives to act on immigration
reform.

That has angered the AFL-CIO union organization. "It's not
OK to trade workers to get a senator," said Andrea Zuniga
DiBitetto, legislative representative with the labor federation.

DiBitetto did not say whether the AFL would pull its support
for the entire bill if Hatch's amendments were approved.

Influential business groups, which fear the legislation
would increase their liability, have held back from endorsing
the legislation until their problems with the H-1B program are
resolved.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is aiming to complete work on
the bill before June.

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